Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill wants the ELVs to be played worldwide by 1 September.

The IRB has not yet made a decision, but said the northern hemisphere unions would be encouraged to trial the new laws starting at club level. But Australia want their November Tests in Europe played under the ELVs.

“Certainly our preference – our very strong preference – is that every game from 1 September is played under the ELVs,” O’Neill told the BBC. “If the IRB is truly the governing body of world rugby it should just mandate that 1 September is the date from which every competition should use the experimental laws.”

The IRB’s Laws Project Group is meeting with the representatives of the Six Nations unions on 27 and 28 March in London. It is termed as an “information and consultation meeting” with the hope that the northern hemisphere unions can be persuaded to start trialling the changes in their top-level club game.

The IRB plans to hold a vote in November in order to decide whether some or all of the ELVs will be introduced into the sport for a further 12 months.